Ernest Smith

It has been a long time coming. Once we knew we were going to be planting a church, over a year ago, I have wrestled with the thought of what I wanted the name of the church to be. I have tossed around many names hoping that one of them would be highlighted by the sounds of angelic trumpets blaring and a loud voice saying “Well done my son.”

For many guys this is an easy process. I have even met some church planters that had the name of the church 10 years before the church started. I didn’t have that fortune.

After a lot of prayer, fasting, asking Denver residents and seeking wise counsel, I have finally decided on the name of the church…

Front Range Christian Church

Now, I know to a lot of people this name doesn’t have a lot of meaning and can even be quite confusing. Why didn’t I name it something catchy like The Heights or Epic or any number of other names that many other churches have? As I was trying to choose a name, I knew that whatever the name was going to be it must meet two criteria.

One, I wanted a name that could be multi-site-able. I know that is not even close to being a word, but it’s the best way to describe what I am wanting. I believe that God will allow us to be a church that doesn’t just have one location, but multiple. Whether those locations are separate church plants, campuses or both, I want to have a name that is prepared for the multi-site model in case God does allow us to go that route.

Two, I wanted to choose a name that would speak to the Denver/Castle Rock/Colorado culture. The Front Range is a popular term in Colorado used to describe the geography that is on the southeastern side of the Rockies. The Front Range represents an area from Pueblo, CO in the south to Casper, WY in the north. It is the range of mountains that can be seen when driving on I-25 for many hours.

The challenge with these two criteria is that there are few names that would be specific to the Denver/Castle Rock/Colorado culture and could also go long distances for multi-site. So I determined that instead of worrying about a name that could go into multiple states, as a church, our primary focus is going to be influencing the culture of the eastern side of the Rockies in Colorado first and then we can move beyond that if God calls us too.

Therefore, Front Range is a perfect aspect of the name.

Some would say “Why didn’t you just name it Front Range Church?” The answer to that question is found in a long story that would take too long to write, but the short version is that I want to make sure that everyone knows we are not a cult, not a “spiritual” organization, but that we are Christian Church. That would seem redundant to say in the south, but in the West it has become increasingly apparent that we must identify who we are.

If you want the full story, I would be happy to share it with you. It involves a plane ride, Andy Stanley and Buddhism.

So, there it is. A name! Finally!!!!

After 19 months, lots of prayer, fasting, seeking wise counsel and talking to Denver residents, we finally have an identity. We are…

Front Range Christian Church

🙂